Hyderabad: A group of educationists, retired judges, academics and civil society leaders urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to withdraw the proposed government schools plan to reduce the number of government schools in Telangana. They warned that the move could weaken access to education and adversely affect children from disadvantaged communities.
The signatories submitted an open letter to the Chief Minister on Tuesday. They were responding to a proposal reportedly made by Revanth Reddy during a discussion in Bengaluru on June 6 to reduce government schools in the State from 27,000 to 4,000.
Among those who signed the letter were former High Court judges Justice B. Chandra Kumar and Justice Radha Rani, Professors G. Haragopal, M. Kodandaram and K. Nageshwar, along with MLCs Deshapathi Srinivas and Goreti Venkanna.
Furthermore, the signatories said closing nearly 23,000 schools would have serious educational and social consequences. They argued that the decision would particularly affect children in rural areas and those from marginalised communities.
Concerns over government schools plan
The group said the proposal could undermine the constitutional guarantee of free and compulsory education under the Right to Education Act. It also warned that many gram panchayats would lose access to nearby government schools, making education less accessible for children, especially girls.
Meanwhile, the signatories said the move could increase school dropouts and child labour. They argued that declining enrolment reflected administrative shortcomings rather than a lack of demand for public education.
They also questioned the government’s commitment to its election promise of allocating 15 per cent of the State budget to education. Finally, they urged the government to strengthen the public education system instead of implementing the government schools plan.